Switch for endless-cable ways



(No Model.)

H. GASEBOLT, tab for Endless Gable Ways.

- S'Wi No.24l,299.

Patented May 10,1881.

N PETERS. PhotoLilhogmphar, Washington, D. (I.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY CASEBOLT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SWITCH FOR ENDLESS-CABLE WAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,299, dated May 10, 1881.

Application filed March 17, 1881.

To all whom it may 0091001" Be it known that I, HENRY CASEBOLT, of San Francisco, in the State of Calit'ornia,have invented certain Improvements in the Construction of Switches for Endless-\Vire-Cable Railways; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view, showing a switch on a cable-road. Fig.2 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 00 w of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa View in detail.

On the class of railways wherein the cars are propelled by means of an endless cable moving in a tunnel and a gripe attached to the car moving through a slot in the top of the tunnel, whenever it is desired to switch cars from one track to another, the converging or diverging slots come together and form a triangular opening which is of such an area that vehicle-wheels, or the feet of men or horses, might pass through were not some means provided for closing such openin It isdesirable to have the cars as they pass operate the device for opening and closing the triangular openin The object of my invention is to provide a device which will close the opening at the switch, and which, by the passage of the car, will be made to force the covering away from the opening, and the covering will return to its place automatically.

My invention consists in a sliding plate mounted on curved rocking levers controlled by a eounterpoise-weight, said plate having diagonal ends, whereby the gripe-shank forces the plate to one side as the car passes, and the eounterpoise-weights return the plate to a position to cover the opening, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I ba e carried it out.

In the said drawings, a n are the yokes supporting the tunnel, and a, a, and b are the slots for the gripe-shank to movethrough. The meeting of these slots causes an opening, 8 s s, triangular in shape, and which it is necessary to keep closed.

(No model.)

Below the opening 8 s s is an angle-iron closing-plate, 0, which slides from beneath an enlarged slot-iron, d, of such capacity as to allow 0 t0 recede until its edge is flush with 01, thereby allowing afree and full passage for the gripe. The plate 0 rests upon the upper ends of bent rocking levers g g, which have theirbearings on a rock-shaft, 1', which isjournaled in boxes kit, bolted totransvcrse angleiron supportso 0, bolted to the yokes a 12, as shown.

0n the ends at of levers g are placed counterpoise-weights I, which, by their gravity, hold the plate 0 beneath the openingss s normally. It is necessary that the weights 1 should be overcome and the plate 0 be made to recede from the opening 8 s s as a car approaches from. either direction, and this I accomplish by means of a plate, f, longer than plate 0, and bolted to it by means of countersunk bolts and intervening thimbles It, as seen in Fig. 4.

Toward its ends the platef has its edges cut diagonally, as seen at 4 5, and these diagonal lines cross the lines of the slots, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

As a car approaches plate 0 the shank of the gripe strikes the diagonal edge of platef, and, pressing it to one side,'overcomes the counterpoise l, tips the levers g g, and throws the plate 0 into the position shown in Fig. 3, so the gripe can pass through the opening 8 s s. As soon as the gripe passes on into one of the slots, the weight l brings down the short arms of the levers, and platee is thrown beneath opening 888.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters HENRY CASEBOLT.

Witnesses R. K. EVANS, JNO. L. CONDRON. 

